In a shocking turn of events, Alhassan Hardi Mohammed, a businessman facing charges of selling government-owned land, has been granted bail by the Adentan Circuit Court. The accused, who pleaded not guilty, was released on a bail term of GH¢400,000 with two sureties. This decision came after a report by graphic.com.gh revealed that the complainant, Faisal Ahmed, had purchased the land from Mohammed, only to lose it during a government demarcation and demolition exercise in January 2023.
According to the investigator, Stephen Djabatey, Ahmed, who currently resides in the United Kingdom, contacted Mohammed through a friend while abroad and expressed his interest in buying land. Subsequently, Ahmed bought five plots of land from Mohammed for GH¢320,000, making an initial deposit of GH¢69,050 and later adding a balance of GH¢250,950. Mohammed provided Ahmed with an indenture, supposedly signed by James Nii Mensah Okpoti Kodua, a resident of Oyarifa, Accra.
However, the situation took a sinister turn when the government reclaimed the land during the demarcation and demolition exercise, subsequently handing it over to local chiefs. Ahmed discovered that he had been defrauded and promptly reported Mohammed to the police. During the investigation, Mohammed confessed that he had purchased the government land from James Nii Mensah Okpoti Kodua, who failed to provide any supporting documentation.
As the case unfolds, the prosecution is actively searching for Nii Mensah Okpoti Kodua, while investigations into Mohammed’s illegal land dealings continue. The court has adjourned the case until July 5, 2023, leaving Ahmed and the public eagerly awaiting the outcome of this alarming case of land fraud.
